


McClain's Diner

by meimentomori



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Angst and Feels, Bisexual Lance (Voltron), Dropout Keith (Voltron), Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Guitarist Lance (Voltron), M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-10-06
Updated: 2017-10-06
Packaged: 2019-01-09 17:40:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,602
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12281310
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/meimentomori/pseuds/meimentomori
Summary: Keith stops into McClain's diner every morning for coffee. Typically, nothing ever changes. It's the same person pouring it, the same old conversation.Only this time, there is somebody new.Somebody Keith thinks is quite cute.





	McClain's Diner

It was a dreary morning when Keith arrived at McClain's diner. It hadn't rained since last night but the fog outside made it nearly impossible to see. A few times, he had nearly swerved off of the road into the unknown that laid beyond but, somehow, he managed to avoid any real damage. He kicked down the kickstand and headed right inside. As usual, he took his seat at the third bar stool from the end. It had a rip on the seat of it, with bits of stuffing poking out from out from the black leather. He liked it that way, thought it added to the authenticity of this diner being passed down from generation to generation. It was an oddly quiet crowd for McClain's today. Even at this early an hour, they normally had around twenty customers to serve, considering they were known all over town for their extra fluffy pancakes. Taking a look around, it seemed that there was only him, an old woman sat in a booth near the corner, knitting quietly, and Shiro, the mechanic down the road, who'd taken a certain liking to Keith. They exchanged a nod before he turned back around to look at the menu. He never bought anything from it, only flipped through its laminated pages. All he came there for was a coffee before he either blew town for the day or hung around the auto shop Shiro ran. They were the only ways he was able to escape to a place where he felt like he wasn't wasting his life away, trapped in a classroom that taught him nothing about how life really was. As he waited, he tapped his foot against the counter to the beat of the radio. It was an okay song, overplayed Keith thought, but catchy nonetheless. Out from the kitchen came a boy he'd never seen before. He looked to be about his own age, with messy brown hair and shining blue eyes. He was humming along to the radio when he spotted Keith, who he noticed had the beat solid.

"You like this song too?" The boy kept humming as he grabbed a mug and placed it in front of the other. "Or is it too overplayed for your taste?"

He didn't know how to respond. Not once in the two years he'd been sitting at this bar, having someone pour his coffee, had it ever been him. It'd always been the owner, Marc McClain. He wondered if this could be his son but he realized in a panic that, that couldn't mean anything good. Marc was the kind of man who wouldn't rest unless it would kill him. A few times he'd been there, his wife, Nicole, stepped in to fill his place. She'd always tell him what a struggle it was to get him to stay in bed, then insist that pancakes were on the house that day.

"It'll be our little secret." She'd wink and set the plate down, after Keith protested the entire time they'd been cooking. "I'd hear no end of it if Lance found out."

He wrapped his hands around the hot mug, nearly burning his palms. It was at that in between temperature where he didn't know whether or not to take a sip or to wait a moment longer. Lance, he figured that was his name, was no longer humming to the song on the radio. He was singing it. He had one of those voices that you wouldn't expect, the kind that made every song sound beautiful, no matter how bad it was. Keith couldn't help but listen in, resting his chin in his hands as he did. He was so full of joy when he sang, face brighter than the sun. He glanced around and saw that both Shiro and the old woman were bopping to the beat. It didn't even seem like they knew it themselves. He turned back to Lance as the song ended.

"You play any instruments?"

This caught him off guard. Nobody ever talked to him while he was working, other than for a refill or when he took their orders. He realized this must be Keith. His dad had a lot to say about him, more good than bad. He was one of the restaurants regulars, which meant Lance would have to be on his best behavior. The thought of his dad reminding him of that on his way out the door that morning made his heart sink a little. The apron he was wearing right now smelled of his cologne, subtle yet musky. The song on the radio had changed to one of their newer favorites. It wasn't played often but enough for them to find it on there every one in a while. For a second, he forgot the name of it. Shut Up and Dance, he remembered. That was its name. Now that he was listening to it again, it sounded different. It was mellower than usual. He shook his head, trying to shake his heavy heart out with it. Lance knew that he had to stay strong. His family was going to need him now more than ever and he couldn't let them down. This was the only way they'd be able to pay for it all. The other customers had already been served so he decided it wouldn't be a bad idea if he responded to Keith. Maybe he'd end up liking him. He did seem to be awfully kind and that was everything Lance needed right about then.

"Yeah." A shy smile appeared on his face as he wiped the counter. "Guitar."

"Acoustic or electric?"

He snorted as if the answer were obvious.

"Acoustic." He slid the sugar towards Keith but he didn't take it. "You drink it black?"

"Yup," He took a long sip from his mug. It was a good thing he waited for it to cool off. "Sugar ruins the flavor."

"It's the only way it tastes good to me." He laughed, pouring himself a mug. He then mixed two hefty spoonfuls of sugar into it. "Why'd you ask me if I played any instruments anyway?"

"You've got a nice voice." He said this like it was a simple introduction. "Thought it'd be a shame if you weren't already playing something."

"It's only a hobby." He looked down at his coffee, at the steam coming off of it. He had to hold back the grin he could feel, tugging at his cheeks. "Thank you though. I'm glad someone enjoys my voice."

Lance could've gone on for hours about how much this meant to him. It had been a rough year for him and this morning hadn't made things any easier. There was always that darkness at the edge of his thoughts that he couldn't erase, of the things that seemed to be falling apart right before his eyes. It got to him but he never cried. He never complained. He only hoped that things would get better. Guitar was the one thing he had that was right. He was writing songs but none of them felt right. It was only when he least expected it that inspiration would come to him. He started humming once again, this time to a tune all his own. Something about it seemed new to him. He tried to memorize the notes, place syllables to words but he knew he couldn't. He was never able to. He took a sip of his own coffee, wincing once it hit his tongue. He cursed under his breath. This is why I stick to soda, he thought.

"What were you humming just now?" Keith somehow latched onto the tune. Lance's humming echoed in his head. He wanted him to continue. "One of your songs?"

"Sorta." He shrugged, trying not to think much of it. "If only I could remember the notes."

"Don't stress yourself about memorizing it." He could tell music meant a lot to him. "You should see some of the bands I've seen, in shitty bars out in the city. They've got nothing on you."

"Thanks." He didn't feel a grin coming on this time but he had to admit, he was flattering as hell. "You're Keith, right?"

"In the flesh." He winked and took another sip. "And you're Lance?"

"Did my parents tell you about me?" He sighed, shaking his head. "I hope it wasn't anything too embarrassing."

"Not at all." He swirled his cup around. "I'm sure you've heard worse about me."

"Why would you say that?" He frowned a bit. "You rob a bank or something?"

"I don't pull shit like that." He laughed. Lance liked his laugh. It made him snicker a little with him. "I dropped out of school. More like they gave up on me."

An 'oh' was all he could respond with. He remembered now about the empty seat that seemed to be in every other one of his classes. How at the beginning of the year, those teachers sighed as they crossed a name off their class rosters. They never even bothered to tell them he was supposed to be there. Nobody ever bothered to ask. You wouldn't take Keith for a dropout he thought as he sat there in front of him. His hair was long, in a dark mullet that only he could pull off. His jacket looked faded, colors not as saturated as they should've been, but it was clean. He had a bit of an upset look to him when his face was resting but he was nice. Which made up for it, in Lance's eyes.

"You were supposed to be in a few of my classes." This made him seem a bit sadder. "You're not missing anything important. We haven't learned anything useful in years."

Keith blinked at Lance in disbelief. He'd stuck him as being twenty, nineteen at the youngest. His parents never mentioned him being in school so he had no way of knowing. He could be fifteen for all he knew. He was about his height, maybe a bit taller. He did look like he could be his age but it would surprise him if he were even a year younger than himself. He presented himself in such a mature manner. He spoke to you as if you were the center of all his attention, looking you right in the eyes. They'd follow your words, lighting up the more you spoke. Some people would never face you with the focus he had, let alone, such a happy aura. It was almost unsettling. He wasn't anything like all the assholes Keith knew from school. They being one of the many reasons he'd never bothered to go back.

"How old are you exactly?"

"Seventeen." His smile was seventeen, Keith thought. The rest of him, not so much. "You?"

"I'll be nineteen in a couple of weeks." Lance looked at him curiously. "I got held back a year."

"Let me guess." He paused a minute. "You made every essay one word but formatted it like an essay?"

"I should've done that!" They were both laughing. "I wrote zeroes for all my math answers and I cheated on essays. You know the thing you can do where it seems like you wrote more?"

"Make the font smaller?"

"Something like that."

Keith looked at the time. Seven thirty five. He'd gotten there nearly an hour ago but he didn't want to leave him alone. He'd only just met him but he had a way with sensing when something was upsetting someone. Lance was giving off a twinge of that. He had a feeling it had to do with his dad. He wanted to ask him but if his suspicion was correct, now wasn't the right time. The only thing he could do was keep up this conversation and hope that he'd come back soon, as well as ask Lance for his number. He figured it wouldn't be too awkward. Plus, he wanted to be on the road soon. Any sort of stress got to Keith in an instant, he didn't know how to handle, and he wasn't about to take it out on Lance. He had a habit of blowing up on people over things like this when he knew they couldn't control them. At the time, it was the only thing he could do.

"You mind if I got your number?" Lance's cheeks flamed up fast. "I'm about to head out for the day. Wouldn't want to pass up the opportunity to send you some shots of the city."

"How far up do you typically go?" He hadn't even answered Keith. He scribbled it down on the back of an order slip without hesitation. "Maybe I could tag along sometime."

"That'd be one helluva day." Lance slid it across the counter. Keith took it and smiled, shoving it into his pocket for later. "It's only a few miles south of here. Busy but you never get bored. Bet you'd love it."

"It sounds amazing." The door opened with the tinkling of bells. This time, a young woman neither of them had ever seen before walked in. Her hair looked like a sea of clouds floating around her head. Lance thought she was beautiful. Keith didn't care for her. "Figures the rush hour'd start up soon."

Keith pulled out his wallet and slid thirty dollars across the counter to Lance. He blew him a kiss, leaving Lance with his jaw dropped open and a twenty eight dollar tip clutched in his hand. He wanted to call up his dad and tell him everything but work was his top priority right then. The woman who'd walked in had already found a seat. He didn't know the man she'd sat down with but he, too, had been polite earlier when he'd taken his order. Asked him what school he went to, how his grades were, the basic questions. Lance focused his attention on the woman, who waved him off. She said she was only stopping by to get Shiro, who he assumed was the man she was sitting with. He nodded and went back to his place behind the counter. Inside of his jeans pocket, his phone buzzed. It startled him a bit. He wasn't used to anyone texting him this early on a Saturday. When he looked, it was a number he'd never seen before. Immediately he knew this was Keith, reading the message with a smile on his face.

'The tip was for your lovely voice. See you tomorrow?'

He shot him back a quick yes. How flirty could this boy be? He wondered then if he'd heard the rumors about him. The ones that were true but Lance denied. The ones that got him bullied and blamed for the bullies. The ones started by none other than his closest friends. They hadn't meant it, Pidge and Hunk. He knew that in his heart well. That's why he hadn't called off their friendship right then. They'd been excited about something and accidentally let it slip that Lance thought a boy was cute. Everybody wanted to know who. That was what he got asked constantly. It seemed it would never end. Now, with the boy's number on his phone, he might someday admit it to not only his face, but to the rest of them as well. He'd only just gotten a glimpse into his head but Lance knew he hadn't assumed wrong. He was nice, as he'd imagined. He was cool, like he'd imagined. He was flirty, like he imagined.

And his name was Keith.


End file.
